plata

→ Aukan: paata

→ Caribbean Javanese: platah

→ Saramaccan: paáta


historia

Learned borrowing from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορία (historía). Doublet of tori.


lo

Likely from English low, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Doublet of lagi.

der

da grunn de lo

1783, C. L. Schumann, Neger-Englisches Worterbuch [Negro English Dictionary], archived from the original on 2023-02-08:


bobo

From Portuguese bobo. Cognate of Principense bóbo.


baka

bakasey


tiri

Borrowed from Dutch stil or from English still.


blaw

Aukan: baaw

Saramaccan: baáu


swa

Compare Saramaccan suwá and Aukan suwa. Likely from English sour.


santa

Borrowed from Portuguese santa or less probably Spanish santa.


soso

Possibly from Igbo sọ̀ọsọ̀ and Yoruba ṣooṣo.


bradi

A bradi pasi.


bogobogo

[ˈbʊ̞ɡʊ̞bʊ̞ɡʊ̞]

[ˈbɔ̝ɡɔ̝bɔ̝ɡɔ̝]


sker

→ Dutch: skeer

Borrowed from Dutch scheren (“to shave”).

In marble games, having lost and being unable to pay marbles due to having ran out of marbles completely.


karton

Borrowed from Dutch karton, from French carton.


doti

From English dirt, dirty and possibly Twi Akan dɔte (“earth, clay, soil, dust”). Compare Jamaican Creole dutty.


bigi

From English big. Compare Maroon Spirit Language bigi (“big”)


grun

Borrowed from Dutch groen, from Middle Dutch groene, from Old Dutch *gruoni, from Proto-West Germanic *grōnī, from Proto-Germanic *grōniz.


tranga

Aukan: taanga

Saramaccan: taánga


alasortu

[ˈɑ̟lɑ̟sɔ̝ɾtu]


gawgaw

Reduplication of gaw, or borrowed from the Dutch reduplication gauw gauw.


pikin

Borrowed from Portuguese pequenino, pequeno.


angribere

[ˈã̠ŋɾibɪ̞ɾɪ̞]

[ˈɑ̟̃ŋɾibe̝ɾe̝]

From angri (“hunger”) + bere (“stomach”).


blaka

Aukan: baakaa

Saramaccan: baáka

→ Caribbean Hindustani: blaaka

From English black. Compare Maroon Spirit Language blaka, Jamaican Creole blak, Krio blak.


gangan

Possibly reduplication of gan, from English gone.


omeni

Alma: No wind isrefi op misi. Efi na vent abi so wan dikdoender, misrefi e kon jep joe smijt en na doro, nanga ala mi no lobi boemoei ini man en vrouw zaak.
Nana: Sortoe man en vrouw zaak, na omeni jari na smeerlap gowe libi mi.

c. 1950, Sophie Redmond, “Datra Papa [A doctor's father]”, in Thea Doelwijt, editor, Kri, kra! Proza van Suriname [Kri, kra! Prose from Suriname], Paramaribo: Bureau Volkslectuur, published 1972, page 115:

Alma: Don't get all worked up, madam. In case the guy starts throwing his weight about, I myself will come to help you throw him out, with all my dislike of meddling in husband and wife issues.
Nana: What kind of husband and wife issues, it's been so many years since the bastard left me.


betre

Likely from Dutch beter as English -er mostly corresponds with -a in Sranan Tongo (compare finga, bita, brada). The verb sense may derive from or have been influenced by sense 2 of beter (“not sick anymore; recovered from a disease”).

A moro betre you gwe.


dobru

From English double or borrowed from Portuguese dobro.


obia

Possibly from Awutu obire (“charm”) and/or Efik ubio (“charm to cause sickness or death”). Cognate of Aukan obiya, Saramaccan obia, and English obeah.


nyun

From English new. For the unexpected nasal consonant, compare mindri, mangri, onfu, nangra, kwinsi.


hilahila

Reduplication of *hila, from Dutch hele (inflected form of Dutch very)?


dyugudyugu

John na wan dyugudyugu boi.

Uproarious, restless, troublesome, crowded


bradyari

[ˈbɾa̠d͡ʒa̠ɾi]

[ˈbɾɑ̟d͡ʒɑ̟ɾi]


Dyu

Den djoe di no ben teki na kristendom ben proberi foe drai na kaba foe den „laatste dé” foe na seti foe sani foe den ini Palestina. Ini 65 G.T. den ben opo meki oproeroe nanga den Romein granmasra. Disi ben abi leki bakapisi dati wan srefidensi djoe staat ben kon, di ben tan so wan féfi jari.

1981 January 1, “„Ini den laatste dé” — Sensi oten? ["In the last days" - since when?]”, in A waktitoren, Selters-Taunus: Wachtturm-Gesellschaft (Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses), page 4:

The Jews who did not take up Christianity tried to avert the end of the "last days" of their arrangement of things in Palestine. In 65 CE they rose up in rebellion against their Roman overlords. This had as a result that an independent Jewish state came into being, which remained for about five years.


bakabaka

[ˈbɑ̟kɑ̟bɑ̟kɑ̟]


drungu

Aukan: duungu

Saramaccan: döö́ngö


kromanti

magical, pertaining to rituals for summoning ancestral spirits


fruku

→ Aukan: fuuku

→ Saramaccan: fuúku


bakra

From Efik mbakara or Ibibio mbakara. Compare Belizean Creole bakra, Jamaican Creole backra, Nicaraguan Creole bakra, Guyanese Creole English bakra, English bakkra, English buckra, and Gullah buckra.

Massera Ningre! condere draay, poespoessie jan sra, bakra oeman aksie man.

1840 July 17, Algemeen Handelsblad (classified advertisement), Amsterdam, page 3:

Black gentlemen! The country changes, a cat eats lettuce, a white woman requests a man. (The grammatical number of the nouns is ambiguous)


srefidensi

Coined by Surinamese poet Trefossa, equivalent to srefi (“self”) + -densi (“-ence”).


Bergi

From Dutch Belg, ultimately from Latin Belgae.


publiki

Likely a learned borrowing from Dutch publiek, from Middle French public, publique, from Latin pūblicus (“pertaining to the people”).

So langa da zonde va tarawan no dee publiki, a dee zonde va takki datti na den disi no habi van noode foe sabi. Kabà a dee publiki, effi da kroetoe ben gi wan vonnisi na datti tappo; offo effi wan sani ben passa na stratoe na publiki presi, foe iniwan soeman kan zie datti, ma a no noffo foe iniwan soema takki bikasi datti tokko kan dee falsi.

1822, P.A. Wennekers, Roomsch-Catholyke catechismus of kort begrip der Christelijke leering, in de Neger-Engelsche taal, voor de Kolonie Suriname, met de gebeden van den nooddoop, de morgen- en avondgebeden, zoo als die dagelijks voorgebeden worden in de R.K. Kerk te Paramaribo; met meer andere gebeden, litanien en gezangen [Roman Catholic catechism or brief comprehension of Christian doctrine, in the Negro English language, for the Colony of Suriname, with the prayers of emergency baptism, the morning and evening prayers as they are recited daily in the Roman Catholic Church in Paramaribo; with further prayers, litanies and hymns], Amsterdam: Wed. F.J. van Tetroode, pages 54-55:

As long as the sin of others isn't public, it's a sin to tell those who don't need to know. It's already public if the court gave a verdict upon it, or if something happened on the street in a public place for anyone to see it, but this is not enough for any person to talk [about it], because it can still be untrue.


kowru

Aukan: koo


seryusu

→ Dutch: yusu

Yu abi wan seryusu siki.


Brasyon

Brazilian (Of, from, or pertaining to Brazil, or the Brazilian people)


difrenti

“Nono. Bijbel e sori krin taki Gado meki libisma, difrenti „sortu” meti nanga sani di e gro”

2024, “Gado gebroiki evolutie fu meki difrenti sani na grontapu?”, in Jehovah's Witnesses:

“No. The Bible clearly states that God created humans as well as different “kinds” of animal and plant life.”


weti

Aukan: weti

Saramaccan: wéti


mangri

Borrowed from Dutch mager. For the unexpected nasal consonant, compare nyun, mindri, onfu, nangra, kwinsi.


lontu

Borrowed from Dutch rond (“round; around”).


fugufugu

Omoe Mani abi wan dagoe, a foegoefoegoe.

1996, H. C. Tiendalli, M. Nickel, Leisi Boekoe na ini Sranan Tongo, 3rd edition, Paramaribo, Suriname: Instituut voor Taalwetenschap, page 34:


kruktu

Aukan: kukutu


bruya

Possibly from Dutch brouilleren (“to confuse, to confound, to muddy”).


Doisri

From Dutch Duitser. Compare Japanese ドイツ (Doitsu, “Germany”).


demokrâsia

[ˈdɪ̞mʊ̞kɾa̠ːsia̠]

[ˈde̝mɔ̝kɾɑ̟ːsiɑ̟]

Learned borrowing from Latin dēmocratia, from Ancient Greek δημοκρᾰτῐ́ᾱ (dēmokrătĭ́ā).


kfâlek

Owru foto ben abi hey skotu èn kofarliki bigi doro. Fu sroto den doro disi, dan den ben greni den na inisey nanga langa isri ofu brons barki.

1989 April 1, “Na pori fu wan nâsi [The destruction of a nation]”, in A waktitoren, Selters-Taunus: Wachtturm-Gesellschaft (Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses), page 41:

Old cities had high walls and huge gates. To lock these gates, they bolted them shut on the inside with long iron or bronze bars.

great, fantastic (also used as an intensifier)


Sneisi

Chinese (of, from, or pertaining to China, or the Chinese people)